Centering Prayer

[DBT]

AlanFromWichita:

The idea that centering prayer is dangerous, non-Catholic or “new age” is baloney. It is an attempt at renewing the apophatic tradition of the Church, and has roots in St. John of the Cross (a doctor of the Church), Dionysius, and many others. It is not meditation; it is one step deeper than meditation. It involves achieving silence of the mind, inviting contemplation which is a gift from God. Jesus was speaking figuratively when He said, “when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;” (Matt 6:6) In those days their houses had one room. Centering prayer is obedient to that command.

The language of God is silence. English, Latin and the others are human languages. As long as our minds are busy with wordly thoughts and ideas we are not receptive to contemplation.
Alan

Thanks Alan. I was going to sit down last night and write something very similiar to what you did but you beat me to the punch . . . very well done. I think sometimes people forget that a major part of prayer is about listening . . . and that is what contemplative prayer is all about.

I’ve been really struggling with why so many people seem to be against the idea of Centering Prayer as a means to prepare ourselves for the gift of contemplation. The only thing I can think of is perhaps the modern CP movement kind of jump starts the path to contemplation, ignoring or overlooking the practice of the virtues and the “Way of Perfection” that normally leads to it. I haven’t read to much of Fr. Keating so I might be wrong about that . . . just my initial impression.

When I think of St. Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle I’m reminded that the first 3 of her 7 mansions focus almost exclusively on the growth in holiness through the practice of the virtues. Not until the 4th mansion is the beginnings of contemplation addressed . . . and this, if I’m correct, is “acquired” contemplation which sure sounds very similiar to Centering Prayer. Mansions 5-7 deal with “infused” contemplation where our efforts cease and God takes over.

Any way, as you state, this method of prayer has a very long tradition in the Church going all the way back to the desert Fathers. Contemplative Prayer is also very prevalent in the Old Testament . . . just look at the Psalms and the Prophets. So I think there’s more to it than just New Age bunk.

 

[YinYangMom]

AlanFromWichita:

Dear FelixBlue,

You wanted informed thoughts. Here you go.

The idea that centering prayer is dangerous, non-Catholic or “new age” is baloney. It is an attempt at renewing the apophatic tradition of the Church, and has roots in St. John of the Cross (a doctor of the Church), Dionysius, and many others. It is not meditation; it is one step deeper than meditation. It involves achieving silence of the mind, inviting contemplation which is a gift from God. Jesus was speaking figuratively when He said, “when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;” (Matt 6:6) In those days their houses had one room. Centering prayer is obedient to that command.

The language of God is silence. English, Latin and the others are human languages. As long as our minds are busy with wordly thoughts and ideas we are not receptive to contemplation.

Monks are very familiar with the apophatic tradition, and contemplation, although they usually achieve contemplation through the practice of Lectio Divina, which has several steps leading to contemplation. Centering prayer was designed by Cistercian monks to bring contemplation to lay people and clergy who have busy lives and can’t spend all day praying.

Three years ago I started with a fantastic spiritual director who was also a confessor to most priests in our diocese. He was a very old Redemptorist priest and was well-educated in matters of faith and in psychology. He explained the various kinds of prayer, and invited me to a weekly meeting for centering prayer that he ran. Between my spiritual direction, centering prayer, and the videotapes of Father Keating, my life was changed for the better. Traditional Catholics have hardly even heard of the “spiritual journey” such as taught by St. John of the Cross, even though they may be scholars in Catholicism. Why? I don’t know, but Keating has a series of tapes that go into it in detail.

Centering prayer may not be for everyone, but the spiritual journey is something we all could stand to learn more about. I have much more to say about this, but mainly I wanted to get something started here. An excellent book written in about the 14th century is “The Cloud of the Unknowing” upon which the method of centering prayer is closely based. I recommend the one edited by William Johnston. You can read an excerpt of it at
amazon.com/gp/reader/0385030975/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-0901643-1718463#reader-page

For more information on centering prayer, go straight to the source: contemplativeoutreach.org/

There are three contacts listed there for Dallas and Fort Worth, on contemplativeoutreach.org/contacts/southwest.htm#Texas

As I’ve gathered from some of your other posts, I trust you won’t believe the naysayers until you’ve checked it out yourself.

Alan

All good references, however, as a practicing Catholic I would still recommend **starting **with the position of the Pontifical Council I referenced before.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

YinYangMom:

All good references, however, as a practicing Catholic I would still recommend **starting **with the position of the Pontifical Council I referenced before.

How does the search you referenced relate to Centering Prayer?

When I followed your link I got a bunch of stuff on “New Age” that prints out to 58 pages. I searched the page and found nothing about centering prayer. You searched for new age because it “sounded” like new age to you. It sounds like you are completely unfamiliar with centering prayer.

If you would feel better about Centering Prayer to see it on the Vatican web site, see out the 1997 synod document. Go to vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_17_speciale-america-1997/02_inglese/b13_02.html?GRAB_ID=107%between%EXTRA_ARG=%between%HOST_ID=42%between%PAGE_ID=9169152 and search the page for “centering prayer”

Better yet, ask your own spiritual director about it, if you have one. If not, you may contact the regional rep for contemplative outreach. If you’re not interested in centering prayer, that’s OK but I don’t understand why you want to tell others it is something it is not.

Alan

 

[DBT]

AlanFromWichita:

An excellent book written in about the 14th century is “The Cloud of the Unknowing” upon which the method of centering prayer is closely based.
Alan

Just noticed your reference to this book . . . an all time favorite of mine along with the writings of St. John Of The Cross and St. Teresa Of Avilia which deal extensively on the subject of this thread.

The unidentified author of “The Cloud of Unknowing” is a very interesting figure. He cites St. Dennis (Dionysius in your post) from the 4th? century and is often called a precursor to St. John Of The Cross. Thomas Merton in our day also follows in this long, unbroken tradition.

 

[jennstall]

AlanFromWichita:

How does the search you referenced relate to Centering Prayer?

When I followed your link I got a bunch of stuff on “New Age” that prints out to 58 pages. I searched the page and found nothing about centering prayer. You searched for new age because it “sounded” like new age to you. It sounds like you are completely unfamiliar with centering prayer.

If you would feel better about Centering Prayer to see it on the Vatican web site, see out the 1997 synod document. Go to vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_17_speciale-america-1997/02_inglese/b13_02.html?GRAB_ID=107%between%EXTRA_ARG=%between%HOST_ID=42%between%PAGE_ID=9169152 and search the page for “centering prayer”

Better yet, ask your own spiritual director about it, if you have one. If not, you may contact the regional rep for contemplative outreach. If you’re not interested in centering prayer, that’s OK but I don’t understand why you want to tell others it is something it is not.

Alan

I just followed that link that Alan mentioned above and did a search on Centering Prayer:

• To make certain forms known, both traditional and current, of Christian contemplative prayer, as for instance, in centering prayer. These forms of prayer allow many Christians to encounter, in their own spiritual tradition, what they find in other eastern traditions.

This is a quote from the Most Rev. Fr. Bernardo OLIVERA , O.C.S.O, Abbot General of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance. His topic at the Synod was “the personal encounter with the living Jesus Christ”

The conclusions drawn at Santo Domingo urged all of us to grow in prayer as the expression of ardent, committed faith, loyal love which contemplates God in his true life in the Trinity and his saving action in history, that unshakable hope (37).

This leads into various ways in which to implement this goal.

I’ve decided that if it is good enough for the Cistercians and the Synod of Bishops, then it’s good enough for me and I’ll be taking that class in September. Thanks for your explanations and links, Alan.

 

[Daria]

DBT:

Just noticed your reference to this book . . . an all time favorite of mine along with the writings of St. John Of The Cross and St. Teresa Of Avilia which deal extensively on the subject of this thread.

One of my favorites too, and one I have a habit of recommending.

I don’t really have anything to add to what Alan and others said, except that it’s not at all self-involved or New Agey, in my experience. (I tend not to worry about New Age stuff, perhaps wrongly, just because I completely can’t see the attraction myself. My temptations are different.)

I haven’t done much centering prayer in some time, and I really should–I tend to feel closer to God and less focused on the biusy-busy parts of life when I do.

 

[redkim]

In defense of those who are leary about Centering Prayer sounding too “new agey”: I can’t say I blame them. I suppose Centering Prayer is rather neutral and can be used for “new agey” **** as well as be a great addition to our very rich Catholic tradition of praying.

IMO, Centering Prayer is really a preliminary to our other Traditional prayers and can be a great aid in having a deeper prayer life.

 

[Chaffa55]

Here’s a curious common thread. I’ve noticed the practice of lectio divina is accepted by both those who violently oppose and CP and CP advocates. In addition, the Church clearly advocates lectio divina.

CCC para 2708: Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.

Anyone who is drawn to meditative prayer but concerned about CP as being dangerous might want to consider lectio divina as an alternative prayer practice.

 

[Chaffa55]

Here is a link to a site on the practice of lectio divina:

sentex.net/~jveltri/intro2lectio.html

 

[jeffreedy789]

ya, the pontifical site recommended on the ‘new age’ actually never uses the word ‘centering’ on the whole page. i did a control f search, and it’s not on there.

 

[DBT]

Chaffa55:

Here’s a curious common thread. I’ve noticed the practice of lectio divina is accepted by both those who violently oppose and CP and CP advocates. In addition, the Church clearly advocates lectio divina.

CCC para 2708: Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with himas an alternative prayer practice.

The key sentence I see in this quote . . . at least as it relates to this thread . . . is “Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.”

When you get right down to it, this is the goal of ALL methods of prayer, whether lectio, Centering Prayer or the rosary. Prayer methods are the “means” to the end. The “end”, at least how I see it, is to rest in the Lord (union).

For example, when speaking of the rosary, I’ve often heard it described that the goal shouldn’t be simply to complete the prayer . . . but to stop and rest in Him should you feel drawn in that way.

In this context, Centering Prayer is one of many ways to prepare oneself for the gift of contemplation, a term which I use interchangeably with union or rest.

Centering Prayer, at least how I understand it, goes straight to rest. Lectio involves several steps: Reading the word of God, reflecting on what was read and then finally resting in His presence (might be 1 other step?). Anyway, the goal of both Centering Prayer and lectio is the same.

 

[Chaffa55]

DBT:

…When you get right down to it, this is the goal of ALL methods of prayer, whether lectio, Centering Prayer or the rosary. Prayer methods are the “means” to the end. The “end”, at least how I see it, is to rest in the Lord (union)…

I agree with your conclusion. Along with prayer, I think the other means which are absolutely necessary to rest in the Lord (union) are to obey the teachings of scripture and tradition to the utmost of our abilities.

 

[YinYangMom]

Alan,

and this…

Some local New Age* groups refer to their meetings as “prayer groups”. Those people who are invited to such groups need to look for the marks of genuine Christian spirituality, and to be wary if there is any sort of initiation ceremony. Such groups take advantage of a person’s lack of theological or spiritual formation to lure them gradually into what may in fact be a form of false worship. Christians must be taught about the true object and content of prayer – in the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ, to the Father – in order to judge rightly the intention of a “prayer group”. Christian prayer and the God of Jesus Christ will easily be recognised.(93)

Many people are convinced that there is no harm in ‘borrowing’ from the wisdom of the East, but the example of Transcendental Meditation ™ should make Christians cautious about the prospect of committing themselves unknowingly to another religion (in this case, Hinduism), despite what TM’s promoters claim about its religious neutrality. There is no problem with learning how to meditate, but the object or content of the exercise clearly determines whether it relates to the God revealed by Jesus Christ, to some other revelation, or simply to the hidden depths of the self.

Overall the paper cautions the Catholic about falling prey through one or more ‘techniques’ to being pulled away from the central focus of our relationship with God.

I did not come away from the document as their saying “yes, do this, no, don’t do that”, as much as they were providing the reader with things to watch out for should one become interested in some of these approaches to spirituality. I still recommend the paper be read by any Catholic finding themselves interested in other methods of prayer so that they can know what to expect and what to recognize as signs of danger - should a particular group not be what it claimed to be.

 

[YinYangMom]

Alan and Jeff…

I apologize for the confusion…apparently my previous post got lost in cyberspace…

First, I didn’t do a search for New Age. The link was posted in an earlier thread here on the boards with regard to centering prayer so I followed the link, printed all 58 pages and read the document.

I was stating that ‘Centering Prayer’ is not mentioned per se in the document, but if you search on "prayer’ you will be directed to section 3.4 of the document (recommended reading) and then this other part under 4:

• Prayer and meditation: are we talking to ourselves or to God?
  
  The tendency to confuse psychology and spirituality makes it hard not to insist that many of the meditation techniques now used are not prayer*.* They are often a good preparation for prayer, but no more, even if they lead to a more pleasant state of mind or bodily comfort. The experiences involved are genuinely intense, but to remain at this level is to remain alone, not yet in the presence of the other. The achievement of silence can confront us with emptiness, rather than the silence of contemplating the beloved. It is also true that techniques for going deeper into one’s own soul are ultimately an appeal to one’s own ability to reach the divine, or even to become divine: if they forget God’s search for the human heart they are still not Christian prayer. Even when it is seen as a link with the Universal Energy, “such an easy ‘relationship’ with God, where God’s function is seen as supplying all our needs, shows the selfishness at the heart of this New Age”.(75)
  
  New Age practices are not really prayer, in that they are generally a question of introspection or fusion with cosmic energy, as opposed to the double orientation of Christian prayer, which involves introspection but is essentially also a meeting with God. Far from being a merely human effort, Christian mysticism is essentially a dialogue which “implies an attitude of conversion, a flight from ‘self’ to the ‘you’ of God”.(76)“The Christian, even when he is alone and prays in secret, he is conscious that he always prays for the good of the Church in union with Christ, in the Holy Spirit and together with all the saints”.(77)

 

[kmktexas]

There is question on this topic in the Ask an Appoligist Forum with a good response and links.

I was once assigned a Thomas Keating book to read for penance. It was hard to complete the book but it did lead me to many other interesting sources of information on prayer.

Many people seem to want to use Centering Prayer and Contemplative Prayer interchangably. I don’t think that is exactly correct. While Contemplative prayer and Lectio Divino have a stong Catholic “pedigree”, Centering Prayer seems to try to adapt an easter meditative practice to a Catholic use.

While some people may be able to use this with no problem, I think that others will find it hard to distinguish use of Centering Prayer with other New Age practices. Compounding this problem is the fact that some retreat centers offer Centering Prayer workshops right along with other questionable new age programs.

 

[Micki]

For further good information regarding CP, I suggest you read Father DuBay’s book Prayer Primer, Igniting the Fire Within. It has some good orthodox info on the topic.

Micki

 

[DBT]

kmktexas:

Many people seem to want to use Centering Prayer and Contemplative Prayer interchangably. I don’t think that is exactly correct. While Contemplative prayer and Lectio Divino have a stong Catholic “pedigree”, Centering Prayer seems to try to adapt an easter meditative practice to a Catholic use.
.

I agree with you that one of the biggest points of confusion about Centering Prayer is the interchangable use of terms . . . words like contemplation have different meanings depending on the context.

Part of the problem also lies with the whole eastern vs. western perspective that you cite . . . what some people consider new age. Our whole Catholic history gets a bit muddled in this regard.

The desert fathers (eastern) were strong proponents of contemplative prayer and likely used techniques similiar to those used in Centering Prayer today. Mantras and relaxation techniques have been around for a long, long time.

The unidentified author of “The Cloud of Unknowing” wrote in the 1300’s? in England (western) and echoed much of the desert fathers and especially Dionysius (eastern). His book in many ways is the “how-to” manual that the Centering Prayer movement of today is based on.

St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avilia wrote on the same themes a couple of hundred years later from Spain (western) and became Doctors of the Church. Their focus was less on technique and more on the “Way of Perfection” . . . the habitual practice of virtues and the gradual growth in holiness that may, God willing, lead to contemplation. This is the perspective I find most lacking in the Centering Prayer movement today. One must walk-the-walk as well as talk-the-talk.

Then again there’s Thomas Merton who soaked up all of this and was intrigued by what he saw as the similarities between the Christian and Buddhist views on contemplation (REALLY EASTERN ).

 

[AlanFromWichita]

NOT POSTED YET

YinYangMom:

Overall the paper cautions the Catholic about falling prey through one or more ‘techniques’ to being pulled away from the central focus of our relationship with God.

I did not come away from the document as their saying “yes, do this, no, don’t do that”, as much as they were providing the reader with things to watch out for should one become interested in some of these approaches to spirituality. I still recommend the paper be read by any Catholic finding themselves interested in other methods of prayer so that they can know what to expect and what to recognize as signs of danger - should a particular group not be what it claimed to be.

Dear YinYangMom,

That sounds like a good idea in general to me. I see that you were not claiming a particular link between CP and any “new age” practices except at first glance. I suggest if you are interested in trying Lectio or CP you contact a spiritual director or Contemplative Outreach rather than trying it on your own, especially so that you may assuage your concerns. Unfortunately, although most diocesan priests I know are aware of Contemplative Outreach (partly because Keating asks them for donations) they are not very familiar with it.

Note that if you read article 1 “Expressions of Prayer” of the CCC, part 4, section 1, chapter 3 entitled “Life of Prayer”
usccb.org/catechism/text/pt4sect1chpt3.htm#art1
(paragraphs 2700-2719)
you will find three types of prayer – vocal, meditative, and contemplative. There are more paragraphs about contemplative prayer than the other two put together.

Most Catholics I know have never even heard of contemplative prayer, and I think that is a shame. Many Catholics know of no other prayer than vocal prayer. Nothing wrong with vocal prayer, but as CCC states, “Thus vocal prayer becomes an initial form of contemplative prayer.” (2704)

About meditative prayer, CCC states, “This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.” (2708)

So what type of prayer goes further? You guessed it – Contemplative prayer.

 What is contemplative prayer? St. Teresa answers: "Contemplative prayer [oración mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us." (2709)

Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son.(2712)

I highly recommend reading the CCC paragraphs 2700-2719, which I have hardly done justice above. Clearly the Catechism believes that contemplative prayer is not only acceptable, but necessary for a complete prayer life. Whether you use CP, Lectio Divina, or some other mode of prayer leading to contemplation, you owe it to yourself not to miss out.

There is nothing wrong with meditation or vocal prayer, but they are only the beginning. Here’s what I want to know. If the CCC is so adamant that vocal and meditative prayer needs should be combined with contemplative prayer, why don’t they teach it in Catholic grade schools, or Catholic high schools, or speak about it from the pulpit? As I understand, in a mainstream seminary curriculum, diocesan priests are only briefly exposed to contemplative prayer. What a pity, that we are not training our diocesan priests in prayer forms that bring about the closest union with God! Contemplative prayer forms are great for hours of Eucharistic adoration.

There is nothing wrong with meditation or vocal prayer, but they are only the beginning. I believe it is satan who scares Catholics away from having a prayer life that reaches its full potential.

Alan

 

[mercygate]

redkim:

The way I was taught Centering prayer is that we are at rest in God’s rest. I see it as a good way or preliminary step to actual prayer and reading of scripture. I can become more focused on my prayer and what scripture is saying. Now, I don’t center much, but when I do, it seems to work. I sometimes try it before Mass.

Centering prayer is as “new age” as you care to make it – or not. It is, however, vulnerable to being hijacked for that sort of thing. I believe the Holy Father requested that Keating and Pennington attempt to develop a “baptized” version of the kind of non-Christian meditation that was diverting the faithful towards Oriental mysticism. Ultimately, devotees of CP say that the focus is not just on “my experience of the One” but embraces the whole world in the arms of God.

As for the ‘merely physical’ aspect of it, I would submit that we pray with our whole body; if spending time approaching some kind of physical quiet enables us to be more open to God, then go for it.

CP is not my cup of tea, as I am Scripturally oriented in prayer. I do find a kind of integrative silence following upon the early stages of Lectio Divina – which is the contact point of this technique with Christian prayer. If it is left at the “technique” stage, then, indeed, it is not prayer. The prayer of silence is not “mere” silence. I think CP gets a bad rap because most people CANNOT go beyond “emptying the mind” – nor, perhaps, is it intended by their maker that they should.

 

[YinYangMom]

AlanFromWichita:

Here’s what I want to know. If the CCC is so adamant that vocal and meditative prayer needs should be combined with contemplative prayer, why don’t they teach it in Catholic grade schools, or Catholic high schools, or speak about it from the pulpit? As I understand, in a mainstream seminary curriculum, diocesan priests are only briefly exposed to contemplative prayer. What a pity, that we are not training our diocesan priests in prayer forms that bring about the closest union with God! Contemplative prayer forms are great for hours of Eucharistic adoration.

There is nothing wrong with meditation or vocal prayer, but they are only the beginning. I believe it is satan who scares Catholics away from having a prayer life that reaches its full potential.

Alan

I, myself, am not interested in exploring ‘centering prayer’, but have some friends who do - that’s why I wanted to look up the Vatican reference to that ‘new’ approach.

As for why the church doesn’t teach it, I think that’s explained rather well in that document I referenced - as it was written specifically for the Bishops for directing them in how to approach these concepts with their fold. There seems to be a very fine line with meditation and contemplation for the Catholic which cannot be quickly explained. It wouldn’t take much to approach learning the technique erroneously and in that process fall prey to Satan’s influence (it has to do with the ‘emptying’ process). At least that’s what I got from the paper. It seems the safest approach to learning how to pray meditatively and contemplatively is to do so with an experienced, authorized spiritual director - not through prayer groups or on one’s own.